U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 1, 2004

Kim Saiki-Maloney

Q. 1 under par, 70 today. How much did your victory have to do with building up your confidence for this week in the Women's Open?

KIM SAIKI: It had a lot to do with it. I came off of my first victory and I feel very confident and very comfortable out on the golf course right now.

Q. You had a little problem hitting fairways. I noticed you only hit nine fairways. Started out well, hitting the first two and then missed four in a row and yet you managed to hit 12 greens. So you managed to come back. The rough wasn't too difficult today?

KIM SAIKI: Not really. I'm sure by Saturday, Sunday, the rough will be a little bit tougher to get out of. But I just hit a lot of good iron shots today. I did kind of struggle with my driver a little bit. But I still feel really good about my game.

Q. You were playing the back nine first, on the front nine on the 12th hole, you had a double bogey. Tell us about that?

KIM SAIKI: I was a little quick on my swing and I pulled the drive left, just short of the hazard. And I did not have a good lie on that particular shot. I decided to try to chase up a 5 iron and just kind of bounce it up there. And I pushed it out to the right into the right bunker. And then when I got up to the shot, I felt very comfortable over the shot, but just didn't hit a good shot. I hit it a little heavy and it hit the bank of the bunker and then went back in. And then hit my shot out and hit a great shot, but just missed the putt.

Q. Let's go over your birdies. And we'll start on No. 11, because that's where you started. Second hole of the day you make a birdie 3. How did that happen?

KIM SAIKI: That was probably the best drive of the day. I had about, I think I had 124 to the hole. I hit a 9 iron in there just probably two feet behind the hole.

Q. Then you birdie 14, the other par 4.

KIM SAIKI: 8 iron, 149 to the hole. 15 feet on the putt.

Q. Then unfortunately 15 and the very tough 16th, you bogeyed both of those. How did that happen?

KIM SAIKI: On 15 or well 16. I'm trying to think of the holes. 16, I hit a very good drive, just slightly started drawing on me. And I thought actually that it would be out in the fairway. And it kicked just on the first cut and kicked dead left into the rough. So I had no shot, really, the lie wasn't that great. And I just took a pitching wedge and laid up to a good number. And just didn't make the putt.

Q. What did you hit into the green then from the good number?

KIM SAIKI: We played it about 100 yards.

Q. What did you hit?

KIM SAIKI: An A wedge.

Q. Can you go back to 15, number 15?

KIM SAIKI: 15, I hit it left, dogleg right, I ended up teeing up with a four plus and I, quite honestly, I wasn't trying to hit the shot to the left side, but I didn't realize how firm the ground was up there either. With the pull draw it bounced real hard and went into the hazard. I had to take a drop and I chipped out probably 25, 30 yard chip shot. I hit a 9 iron in to about four, five feet. And I made the putt for bogey.

Q. That's a good bogey.

KIM SAIKI: Thanks.

Q. 17?

KIM SAIKI: 17, what did I do there? I had a 5 iron into the hole and I hit it about 173 to the pin and it was pin high about 20 feet and I made the putt.

Q. Going to the front nine, you bogey the first hole.

KIM SAIKI: I hit a good tee shot and I had about 173 to the front edge. This particular green is quite different than all the other greens on the golf course. I wanted to hit it to about 770, 72 and just let it bounce up and release to the pin. But I ended up blocking it out to the right. It was the right club, I had a little chip shot. I hit a great chip shot and it just kind of got away from me. And I missed probably about a 8 to 10 footer. I hit a good putt, just didn't read it right.

Q. Then after the double bogey on No. 2, we went over that. Then you had three birdies coming in. Number 3, right after the double?

KIM SAIKI: That was probably one of my better drives of the day. I hit it just down the left center and I had 226 to the front edge and I was in between going for it with the four plus or just laying up and I chose to lay up with a 7 iron. And then I had about 77 yards and I actually, my ball was actually in a divot, it was in a hole. And I just pinched it good enough and I had probably 6, 7 feet. I made the putt from behind the hole.

Q. Number 6, the par 4?

KIM SAIKI: 6, I hit a great drive there, left center. Ended up hitting an 8 iron slightly below pin high and just made a pretty long putt. It was probably 30 feet.

Q. Number 8 you birdied?

KIM SAIKI: Hit a good drive there and hit a 9 iron in from 129. And then that was probably about a 30 footer. A little left to right break.

Q. How is the course playing? Do you expect any low numbers out there today?

KIM SAIKI: Oh, definitely. I think it's definitely score able. The key is driving and driving it in the fairways. But the rough, you could miss fairways, and as long as you miss it in the correct place, you're fine. The rough, like I said, I don't think will be that bad until Saturday, Saturday or Sunday. But you can get in some areas where it's, you get some bad lies.

Q. You mentioned 16 you had a bogey there. Is that playing basically like a par 5 or maybe a par 4 and a half this week?

KIM SAIKI: I don't think so. I think the key is the drive, the tee shot. If you can drive it out to the right center of the fairway it's definitely reachable. I think for some of the players that are short off the tee it will be extremely difficult for them, because it is long.

End of FastScripts.